Aston Villa have been hit with another twist in their plot to sell Douglas Luiz for players and cash this summer, it has been revealed.

Villans trying to avoid Financial Fair Play issues

After finishing fourth in the Premier League and clinching Champions League football for the first time in their history, Unai Emery's are looking to strengthen their ranks but are facing financial fair play pressures after declaring losses of £120m last year.

To get around this, it appears that the club are engineering a trio of swap deals that will be swaps in all but name. Firstly, they are negotiating with Everton over a deal for young winger Lewis Dobbin, in a move that sees Everton simultaneously negotiating a move for Tim Iroegbunam, who is set to undergo a medical at Goodison Park on Thursday.

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Meanwhile, Villa have also agreed a deal with Chelsea to sign defender Ian Maatsen, in a move that will set them back up to £40m with add-ons included. In the other direction, Chelsea are set to sign either Jhon Duran or a Villa academy talent, allowing both sides to balance the books in a legal fashion, with the pair and Everton all among those under financial fair play pressure.

But by far the biggest swap deal being discussed is that for Douglas Luiz to move to Juventus, which will see Aston Villa receive around 20m euros and two Juventus players in return for their star midfielder. Samuel Iling-Junior is certain to be one of those, but there were concerns after Weston McKennie refused to be a part of the move, leaving the transfer in doubt. Now, an alternative has been found.

Villa close to signing young midfielder

That comes as the Villans have identified Juventus youngster Enzo Barrenechea as the replacement for McKennie in any deal for Luiz, according to Fabrizio Romano. The young Argentine has spent the most recent season on loan with fellow Serie A side Fronsinone, but could not prevent them from being relegated on the final day of the Italian top flight season.

The 23-year-old was dubbed "one of the most intelligent midfield prospects in Italian football" with "so much composure" by analyst Ben Mattison on X, but he will now join Unai Emery's side if all goes to plan despite still having two years left to run on his £4,000 a week deal in Turin.

For his part, Barrenechea is understood to be "keen" on a move to the Premier League and "open" to joining Aston Villa, where he will be offered the chance to play Champions League football for the first time in his career.

Though the move would certainly be an odd one, with Villa swapping one arguably world class star for two young talents, should Barrenechea be able to deliver on the promise shown at Frosinone, he could be an astute arrival.